[France: Paris] 2* Le Clarence by Christophe Pele

June 13, 2024

[France: Paris] 2* Le Clarence by Christophe Pele

Rating: 4.5/5

Follow me to 2* Le Clarence in Paris! Located inside a lavish 19th century private mansion owned by the Prince of Luxembourg, the restaurant has 3 dining rooms - each carefully decorated with period paintings, traditional tapestries, and antique furniture to transport diners back in time.

At the helm of Le Clarence is Chef Christophe Pele who has worked at some of Paris’ most acclaimed restaurants including Pierre Gagnaire, Ledoyen, and Le Royal Monceau. But Hong Kong food lovers may remember him as one of the chefs at the now-defunct (and much loved) Serge et le Phoque in Wan Chai.

Judging by the grand appearance of the restaurant, one may expect the food here to be on the classical side but on the contrary, it’s vibrantly modern with ingenious combinations and flavor profiles from around the world. We had the Le Clarence menu in 4 sequences with each sequence accompanied by a myriad of satellite plates. Highlights included the zucchini flower tempura with squid ink, clams in white wine sauce, turbot with sweetbread & lime beurre blanc, smoked eel with veal tripe, quail, chocolate soufflé tart with coffee ice cream, and of course the chef’s signature almond dacquoise. Definitely one of the best meals we’ve had so far this year!